ACTOR Mandla Gaduka has been off our television screens for a while now but he won’t let anything destroy his love for acting. The former Broken Vows actor is still making the best of his talent and using his skills to help those who want to showcase their talent. Even though it’s still a bit tough for him to get TV roles, the star says he is definitely not looking into something different. He believes there is always time for everything and something great will come his way.
STRUGGLING TO GET TV JOBS
His last TV gig was on e.tv’s drama series, Broken Vows, and ever since, he has been struggling to get more TV jobs. “Television jobs come and go and it seems like no one is hiring at the moment. It’s not that I am complaining because I know how things are in the entertainment world. Sometimes production houses hire people who have a strong social media influence, which I am not against. We all need to showcase our talent in any possible way we can and if someone is good, then why dispute such talent. I am hoping for the best,” says Mandla. He is grateful that he has now joined a theatre play called Diketso, which tells the story of a young girl who refuses to heed a calling from her ancestors to become a traditional healer.
ACCEPTING OTHER CULTURAL BELIEFS
Mandla is also preparing for a role in the play and is shadowing a person who is training to become a traditional healer. He says he has learnt to accept other cultural beliefs even though he grew up in a Christian family. “In the past, it made me uncomfortable to play a character that portrays different cultural beliefs to mine. I wouldn’t take roles because I was frightened and didn’t understand know how to approach them,” he says. He explains that with a lot of research and some experiences in his family, he came to understand other cultural beliefs. “One of my cousins had an ancestral calling and had to train to become a traditional healer. Even though we are a Christian family, we had to support her. I've learned to embrace other cultural practices,” he says.
HELPING PRISONERS
The former Generations actor conducts acting workshops in prisons around Johannesburg and also holds talent shows. “The workshops made me realised that some of the people are in there because they chose the wrong paths but their talent deserves to be seen by the world. I thought that I was going to start from scratch but some inmates know their craft and I am enjoying some of their great acts,” says Mandla.
